Group finds gap in Marin children's education, health

Most Marin County children score well on measures of education and physical health but minorities and economically disadvantaged children lag behind in many areas, a San Rafael nonprofit group reported this week.

Minorities and children from poor families have less access to preschool, lower math and English test scores, higher rates of obesity and lower levels of physical fitness, according to the report by MarinKids, a nonprofit group focused on children's health and education.

"Lots of kids in Marin County are doing really well but there are significant disparities between families who are economically disadvantaged or kids who are Latino and African American," said Kathleen Tabor, senior consultant for MarinKids.

The group analyzed data from sources such as the state Department of Education and the University of California at Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research.

Access to preschool was among the largest gaps noted in the report, with 91 percent of white children in Marin attending and only 32 percent of Latino children attending. A gap also existed in elementary school, where 83 percent of white third-graders scored proficient in English, compared with 37 percent of their Latino counterparts and 49 percent of black third-graders.

"Reading well by the end of third grade is critical to later academic success and may predict high-school graduation," the report states.

A smaller but significant gap also existed in fifth-grade math scores.

In one key measure of physical health, 90.4 percent of Asian students and 87.5 percent of white students were at a healthy weight, compared with about two-thirds of Latino students and only half of black students.

"We have great health disparities in our communities in Marin and I think that data is just indicative of some of the challenges we have," said Sparkie Spaeth, the official in charge of preventive programs for the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services.

The county will receive about $1.4 million in federal grant money over four years to help address children's health problems, Spaeth said.

The money will fund community-led studies of access to healthful food and recreation in Marin City and San Rafael's Canal neighborhood, and it will also provide nutrition education for students and parents in San Rafael, Novato and Marin City.

"We've got to be more vigilant and able to help young children be active and eat a healthful diet," Spaeth said.